Michi
I dislike attempts to rewrite history
Potato Kugel is a Jewish dish traditionally eaten on various holidays. It's basically a richer take on Swiss Rösti, and contains eggs as well as fat. It's great as an alternative to potato as a side for various meals, but it's also delicious as the main dish, with a few extra bits on the side, such as cold cuts, fish, poultry, left-over roast, or pretty much anything you fancy. It also makes a fine addition to a hot breakfast (instead of hash browns).
Ingredients:
Potato Kugel with gravlax, sour creme, and a salad:
And for breakfast, with bacon and eggs:
Ingredients:
- 1.8 kg (4 lb) russet potatoes
- 1 large onion
- 6 eggs
- 140 g (150 ml or 10 US tbsp), plus an extra 2 tbsp duck fat
- salt
- ground black pepper
- chives
- Beat the eggs until combined. Add a generous amount (around 1.5–2 tsp) of salt plus a generous amount of freshly ground pepper.
- Warm the duck fat so it is just melted. Do not let it get hot.
- Pre-heat a 12" cast iron skillet on the stove top. It should be a low frying temperature, not ripping hot.
- Pre-heat oven to 220 ºC (425 ºF).
- Grate the potatoes and onion. I used the grating disc on my food processor; it makes short work of the job.
- Pack the grated potatoes and onion into a dish towel, a decent handful at a time, and squeeze hard to get rid of as much liquid is possible. (I used a potato ricer instead; it allows me to put a lot of pressure onto the grated ingredients without having to muck and around with a dish towel.)
- Lightly beat the liquid (but only lukewarm) duck fat into the eggs, and combine with the grated potatoes and onion, tossing lightly so the egg and fat are evenly distributed.
- Add a little bit of fat to the skillet (just enough to lightly grease the bottom and sides) and fill it with the mixture. Do not press down too much, just put it in there, spread it out, and flatten the surface. (Too much pressure will destroy the texture of the dish.)
- Fry lightly on the stove top for 5–10 minutes, to get a little bit of browning on the bottom. (Be careful with the heat here; you want the bottom to brown a bit, not burn.)
- Drizzle another 2 tbsp of duck fat over the surface and put the skillet into the centre of the pre-heated oven. It should take 40–50 minutes for the mixture to cook through. Keep an eye on the colour and pull the skillet once you have a nicely browned surface.
Potato Kugel with gravlax, sour creme, and a salad:
And for breakfast, with bacon and eggs:
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) the quantities for a 10" skillet:
